flooded streets caused big problem this morning for commuters. and flood warn rings still in effect for parts of our area. we are also dealing with windy conditions. if you haven't been out there, it is blowing. the latest on the trouble spots. good morning. welcome. i'm barbara harrison. >> i'm keith russell. thursday, january 31, 2013. rescuers had a very busy morning pulling stranded drivers from high water. this morning, chopper 4 flew over laurel where at least would areas were stuck in rising water. it was just one of several scenes where water flooded roads. some of the hardest hit areas were in montgomery county. news4's derrick ward is live at

a fire station in potomac where he talk to some of the rescuers that risked their lives to save drivers that were stranded. >> reporter: we are at station 30 here on pauls road in potomac. the quiet behind me belies how busy they have been in the past few hours where a rise of rushing water has led to a rash of harrowing experiences. before the sun came up, swift watter teams and other first responders were already plucking hapless motorists out. this vehicle became strappeded and rescuers got the driver out. not long after that yet another vehicle out of its element. this one on bright an dam road in brookville. that arrive was taken to safety without injury. >> we had eight. began last night around 9:30. we had them in the upcounty, barnesville area, east county, brighton dam, as well as germantown and darnestown area.

>> another driver ended up in rushing water that came up over a bridge. he had to be rescued from the roof of his car. >> people still don't learn not the drive in flooded roads. >> reporter: master fire fighter simmons was among those kept busy as the sun came up it was clear just how much familiar roads had changed quickly. >> they knew they were in the water. most of them. and they were trying to drive through it and didn't think it was that deep. >> reporter: laurel saw its share of flooded vehicles as well. it takes just a few inches of moving water float a vehicle. turn around, don't drown. even if the water is not that deep, it can be deep enough for the vehicle to stall. what's the best advice? >> in most cases i would say stay with your vehicle. do not get out. if you slip, trip, fall, you don't know whether there's a pothole or something that you could fall into, you go down, that water will sweep you away. >> reporter: for those that were rescued, that didn't happen.

now the folks that do this for a living say it is unusual to have this many kind of calls this time of year. with the temperatures dropping, that also added another level of danger to this. it was the risk of hypothermia but luckily that was not the case in any of the rescues they they did. >> around this time we can thank those folks that put their lives on the line. as winds started to pick up trees have started to fall around the region. we found this scene on beach drive near porter in the district early this morning. a tree brought down lines and closed the road. just in the past two hours, trees have come down on m.a.r.c. tracks in gaithersburg. at least three trains had to come to a complete stop on the brunswick line. busses were called in to transport commuters from there. rues are still in the process of clearing those trees. some northern virginia drivers have their fair share of flooding issues. water forced crews to close several roads and even affected vre rail service. megan mcgrath shows us the

problems. >> reporter: it was a lot of rain that fell. some places in northern virginia got two to three inches in just a couple of hours. the result, flash flooding and a tricky commute. owns and cops blocked all lanes of annandale road. it made it too tough for traffic. vre commuters found a similar problem on their way to the broad run station. the torrential rain caused the nearby creek to swap piper lane. folks had to turn around and use the station's other entrance. >> this is craziness. now i have to figure out how to get to work. >> reporter: are you late? >> yes. but hi no idea that we were so below the flood line here. >> it is okay. not as bad as a hurricane. >> reporter: the flooding didn't just impact roads.

rails were also under water. vre's fredericksburg line had delays. at times up to 20 minutes. and concerns about flash flooding prompted csx to put speed restrictions in place. high water did cause close calls. there were six water rescues from five different incidents. fortunately, there were no serious injuries. in prince william county, megan mcgrath, news4. flooding is the story here to the south damage caused by more than a dozen tornadoes. eight states saw twisters touch down as the same storm raked across the region. one man was killed bay falling tree in tennessee. another died during this tornado caught on video in georgia. it also tore apart dozens of homes and flattened part of a manufacturing plant. more than 100 cars were also flipped on interstate 75. in that state. i woke up this morning and guess what, my patio furniture was all over the place. after that stormy night, what's next? that's the question for storm

team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. >> the wind has been picking up this morning. we are dealing with the residual effects of the heavy rain we had last night. some locations in virginia and maryland had as much as three inches of rain and n just three, four hours. all these areas you see in green, they have rivers and streams out of their banks. that includes montgomery county county, loudoun county, and the rest of virginia, east of the blue ridge, fauquier county, rappahannock, culpeper and in parts of the shenandoah valley, too. many creeks and streams are out of their banks and patuxent river south of the brighton dam will be flooded because they are having to release water out of the brighton dam. high water along there into the afternoon. here are the winds. latest wind gusts. we had gusts to as much as 35, 40 milesn hour. frederick has had a gust of 40 miles an hour. that just happened right around the immediate metro area. we had gusts to 25, 30 miles an hour. a big area this afternoon under

this wind advisory. we could get gusts to 50 miles an hour. that includes just about all of northern virginia, district and most of maryland. dissipating by later this evening. it is going to be feeling like winter next few days. details on that 7-day outlook coming up. >> we will see you in the staud yo in a few. the flooded roads and downed trees made for a business write morning for danella sealock. she joins with us the latest on road conditions. >> good morning. still seeing problems. flooding as well as downed trees, downed wires. let's first talk about as you are making the commute along river road, heading towards the beltway, eastbound lanes, you are going to see downed wires. also, traffic lights are out in the area. speaking of downed wires, cedar lane, this is between park hill drive and rockville pike. downed wires there. please treat all of the dark intersections as a four-way stop. over to porter street, northwest, still closed between connecticut avenue and beach drive because of a downed tree along with wires in that area.

under way in capitol hills it has potential to be the most contentious confirmation battle of president obama's first or second term. former republican senator chuck hagel of nebraska is the nominee for secretary of defense. he is facing several adversaries on senate armed services committee but he also came with friends. would retired chairmen of the committee introduced him. one was former senator john warner of virginia. >> certain men are asked to take the point which means to get out and lead in the face of the enemy. chuck hagel did that as a sergeant in vietnam. he c-- if confirmed he will do t again. >> he will lead the pentagon at this contentious time. >> we cannot allow the work of confronting the great threats we

face today to held hostage to partisanship on either side. >> if confirmed chuck hagel would be the first former enlisted man and the first vietnam war veteran to head the pentagon. today the senate will decide whether the government can continue borrowing millions of dollars without congress' permission. it is set to vote on a bill to athe debt ceiling to keep going up through the middle of may had a would delay the ex-penned showdown between democrats and republicans over spending cuts. the house passed a bill last week. president obama says he will sign it if it passes in the senate. we are still following a developing story out of alabama. a-year-old boy is being held hostage and is now going on three days. here is what we know. 63-year-old man boarded a school bus tuesday after fatally shooting the bus driver. he grabbed the 5-year-old sxwoy pled the scene. police tracked the man down but says he has been holding the child hostage for more than 30 hours. neighbors of the man describe

him as a loner and survivalist who distrust it is government. you can count on news4 for updates it is a story continues to unfold. metro says it may need to review its procedures with d.c. fire after a chaotic evening commute. an insulator started smoking on the green line and the emergency responder cut the wrong electricity source. that left two trains stopped for hours between the anacostia and navy yard stations. some people got off and tried to walk. eventually the trains made it to the stations but you can see the chaos as people tried to board shuttle buses. metro says that this incident points to the system problems that need to be improved. we have new information coming into the news4 newsroom about the chain reaction crash on the beltway. the fire department released this picture of 30-year-old lieutenant ryan emmons. he was seriously injured in that crash. doctors say he is improving this morning after they reattached his arm. police say a fire truck was trying to make a u-turn on the beltway when a tractor trailer

rear ended it. a jeep was also involved in that crash. the driver and passenger in the jeep and driver of the tractor trailer remain in the hospital this morning. no word on their conditions. three firefighters were treated and released. we have some breaking news. we are following two breaking news stories. shooting outside of a courthouse in kaufmann county, texas. outside of dallas. two gunmen opened pyre and a county employee. two shooters were able to get away. the condition of the victim is not known at this time. we will continue to monitor this story and bring more information when we learn it. an accident involving as many as 50 vehicles has been reported on i-75 in detroit. witnesses say that whiteout weather conditions made it very hard to see and contributed to the chain reaction crash. no word on how many people were injured. we will continue to bring you more information on the stories as it comes in to us. time is now just about 11:12. still to come, what will happen

to a navy ship stuck on a coral reef. >> plus, should redskins fans support the ravens in the super bowl? a long time d.c. leader and you're on timeout leo! some things won't last 25 years. ah! woof! some things will.

some things won't last 25 years. ah! woof! some things will.

new developments in the israeli strike in syria. syria and iran are threatening to retaliate against israel. the u.s. says israel targeted a weapons convoy northwest of damascus near the lebanese border. would people died and five others were injured in the attack. the army says the air strike destroyed a military resource cent center. hezbollah condemn it is attack and the u.s. classfies hezbollah as a terrorist group. new this morning. the u.s. navy is planning to take apart a ship stranded on a coral reef. the u.s.s. guardian mine sweeper ran ground earlier this month in a marine park in the sea off the philippine coast. the ship was supposed to be lifted off of the reef but the navy now says that the ship is a

complete loss and trying to move it would be too much damage or do too much damage to the coral reef. it is expected to take over a month to take that ship apart. storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein joins us now with a look at this windy day we have out there. >> it has been busy last couple of days. we had weird weather. remember on monday morning, we had icing and then tuesday and wednesday we had it in the 70s. now today we have overnight flooding from heavy rain. strong, gusty winds turning coder. feeling like january again. up and down we go. it is a roller coaster ride. we had some photos sent in by viewers of the flood thing morning. this is balancinger cre ee ee er creek. you can post your pictures to weather@nbcwashington.com. this is in montgomery county near brookville. look at that. that car is stranded. that's on long gold mine road in northern montgomery county. this is in virginia, remington, virginia virginia. pot run. then our own julie carey got

pictures of daffodils in full bloom on this january 31. this was right outside of the alexandria ymca. unbelievable. there's the sky now over washington. we got a beautiful blue sky. clouds are racing through on gusty winds. now at 46 reagan nation a. just had a gust there to 23 miles an hour. and the dew point is down to 20. that's dry. drier air is moving in after all that moisture and heat and humidity yesterday. look at the change. only near 40 degrees now in montgomery county. much of fairfax county, loudoun county, prince william, only low and mid 40s. and it is just in the mid 40s or so in prince george's county. much of southern maryland right near the bay, upper 40s to near 50. all these areas in the green, like i showed you earlier, still have creeks and streams out of their banks. the river will be cresting near or above flood stage the rest of the day. patuxent river near flood stage.

dhoun, montgomery county, nearby counties west of washington and south and west will have that diminishing, receding during the afternoon. latest wind gusts are around 25, 30 miles an hour locally. just had gusts farther north and west to 40. winds may increase a bit this afternoon. all these areas in the beige color, that's all the northern virginia and the district and maryland, gusts of 50 miles an hour during the afternoon hours. going forward, into tonight, by 9:00 p.m., might have snow showers in the mountains. some coming in off the great lakes. may give as you quick dusting of snow tomorrow morning. as of 7:30 provide morning. fast-moving snow showers gone by noontime on friday. and we are going to have this cold pattern around here. here's how the temperatures are looking for the rest of the day today. during the afternoon, it will start dropping and by midnight, we will have the temperature all the way down into the low 30s. here is the temperature scale. we are going to have a big drop coming our way. it will stay cold into the weekend. storm team 4, power-day forecast. afternoon highs in the 30s tomorrow. winds gusting 40 miles an hour.

it is going the feel like the teens and 20s. maybe those morning snow showers or flurries. over the weekend remaining cold. teens saturday morning and mid 30s saturday afternoon. and could get flurries saturday night and again on sunday morning. maybe some more snow showers or flurries, 20s, near 40s sunday afternoon. staying cold monday. as we get into tuesday and wednesday, next week, looks like it will warm up a little bit. get a little above the average high. which this time of year is in the mid 40s as we get into the first full week of february. yes, it is still winter. we are getting a reminder of that. >> we certainly are. >> in a big way. >> temperatures dropping already. >> it is. we will check the midday traffic now and see if things are getting better than they were. >>es when the latest? >> still seeing problems. we are going to have to start with metro on the red line. earlier disabled train at the rockville metro station. still causing delays in both directions. over to the roadway, this accident just happening. if you are traveling northbound i-95, trying to take the exit in virginia to three, you will see

the westbound exit shut down because of an overturned tractor trailer. still seeing flooding in gaithersburg, westbound clopper road still shut. what marion barry thinks should be done with the city's big budget surplus. >> the latest in face-lifts. what's a vampire face-lift? why may you want to consider that anti--aging treatment. >> first, here is a look

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with breast cancer who still need us every day. register for the 3-day now. (woman) it's just been an amazing, amazing journey. i love these people. ♪ and it's beautiful this morning, d.c. councilman barry says he will try to force the city to spend up to $100 million of its $417 million budget surplus. he wants the money spent. first of all, good morning. >> good morning. >> so -- mayor gray and his office says this surplus is going right into the city's reserve fund and staying put.

how do you pry that money out thereof? what do you want to use it for? >> the city has the most complex budget and financial system in the nation to report to the congress. and we have an option what to do with this money. we found a loophole in the law yesterday which allows the council to put up to $100 million in the budgets on programs. i'm going to use that, memo going to my colleagues today, explaining that. asking them to withhold judgment until we talk about it. a call in to the mayor to talk about working with him. >> what -- what do you want to use it for? >> i want to use $25 million, $0 million of it for job training. another $40 million for affordable housing. another maybe $10 million for recreation. and dhs, human services, need about $8 million to 0 million.

the re-- >> i want to move to another point. you co-sponsored a bill that could potentially punish parents for their kids missing so much school, unexcused absences, in d.c. public schools. do you think that's the answer? >> no, i don't. i sign order to the bureau because there are good points in it. i was opposed to putting parents jail. who will take care of the kids? at the hearing we brought this stuff out. it is a serious probably. senior high school, 700, 800 students. 400 of them are chronically truant. it is decades of not being involved. lot of people are truant. mothers who are -- >> bottom line, you said it comes down to poverty. i'm getting the wrap-up but one of the main points i wanted to have you on the show for, is you

once said that god was going to lead the redskins to the promise land. you are known it is a mayor for life but now you are throwing your full support behind the ravens. >> let me say this, i want the redskins to go on the super bowl p rg3 to the playoffs. who is in the super bowl is the ravens who beat atlanta. and the 49ers. i used to be a 49ers fan when joe montana was there. i have to support the ravens because they are our sister city. atlanta -- >> what about the people from baltimore who don't want any bandwagon hoppers? >> i'm not bandwagon hopper i'm just being practical. i'm a supporter, when they win, lose, i don't care about that. i have a responsibility to bring them together. i predict the rave lens beat the 49ers. >> you heard it here first from marion barry. you think it is going to be a

stormy monday for the 49ers. >> can i sing? ♪ stormy monday ♪ tuesday is just as bad ♪ oh they call this stormy monday ♪ ♪ and tuesday is just so bad ♪ then come friday ♪ and things are so so sad >> that's going to be for the 49ers on monday. councilman barry, thanks for tackling a lot of topics with us. >> i have been in the business 31 years and very familiar with the budget. i'm a budget expert. 16 years of mayor. finance expert. and so -- a lot of people think i'm whistling in the dark. >> we heard you loud and clear. >> i guarantee you we will get the $100 million and spend it on people. >> thank you, so much for coming on. my point is you need the

outwork. >> i have plenty. i don't need to work. >> after tonight, tina pay and cast are going to have to find a different outlet. "30 rock" airs the hourlong season finale tonight. the show about life working for nbc, comedy show, as you know, won 14 emmys in the seven-year run. and won best comedy three years in a row. and creator fey and friends say it is an emotional good-bye. coming up in the next half hour, more emotional pleas for new gun control measures. the parents who shared their grief for the cause. plus, tom kierein says don't be surprised to see a few snowflakes. back to ♪ we were skipping stones and letting go ♪

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the water is receding after

flooding roads stranding drivers in low-lying areas. this morning, crews rescued more than a dozen stranded drivers trapped in high water across the region. flood warn rings still in effect for parts of our area. senate confirmation hearing of defense secretary nominee chuck hagel is under way right now he is defending his record and clarifying some of his positions on israel, iraq, and nuclear containment. if confirmed hagel will become the first enlisted service member to lead the pentagon. today at 1:00 in richmond, a school and campus safety task force will deliver the first recommendations to virginia's general assembly. governor bob mcdonnell will -- created this panel back in december after the newtown, connecticut, shootings. the task force is expected to present recommendations that lawmakers could act on this session. the panel will issue its final report by june. the debate over gun control is playing out again this week on capitol hill. senate committee held a hearing on how to curb gun violence yesterday. it came hours before an emotional meeting in a town that

knows gun violence all too well. newtown, connecticut. nbc's kelly o'donnell has more. >> no parent should hold this memory of their child. >> the liberty of my person to own a military-style rifle and keep them in their home is second to the right of my son to his life. >> husbands. >> these are not partisan issues. resist distraction from special interests. >> and mothers of sandy hook elementary. >> you do not use a gun against someone else unless you are angry or a victim. >> reporter: together wednesday might in newtown, with connecticut officials from both parties, grappling with the complex balance of guns and gun rights. reinforced with applause. many there demanded new gun

restrictions like bans on assault weapons and high-capacity clips. the same kind of pain and frustration drove gabby giffords and mark kelly back to capitol hill wednesday. would years after the tucson mass shooting that nearly took her life and did take much of her eyesight and ability to speak. >> we must do something. >> reporter: working from her speech therapist's handin notes, she delivered her message. >> you must act. be bold, be courageous. >> reporter: but a different message from the head of the national rifle association. wayne lapierre who rejected democrats' proposal to expand background checks to gun shows and private sales. >> we have to get into the real world what works and doesn't work. my problem with background checks is that you are never going to get criminals to go through universal background checks. >> that was kelly o'donnell reporting.

this was the first gun related hearing since the tragedy in newtown. other hearings are scheduled for the coming weeks and months. virginia governor mcdonnell's transportation plan faces another test today. the senate finance committee will discuss his proposal. the house finance committee signed off on the plan yesterday. the governor wants to raise more than $3 billion over five years for transportation projects. he says he will do so by eliminating virginia's gas tax and raising the sales tax. another element of mcdonald's plan is sparking froess had hybrid car owners plan on driving the ploychbd to show their opposition to the propose aal. they are yum set the governor wants to impose a $100 fee on alternative fuel vehicles. checking in with tom kierein for the latest on our forecast. he is outside on the weather deck. >> what a difference i makes. yesterday it was near 70 degrees

at this time. now we have low clouds racing up there. it is moving at 60 miles an hour. down here at the surface we have winds that are gusting to 30 to 40 miles an hour. there is the i ask over capitol hill now. got a beautiful blue sky. but what a chill in the air. temperatures are down into the low and mid 40s most of the region, 25 to 30 degrees colder than it was the same time yesterday. and we are going to hold steady here in the 40s into the afternoon. winds gusting to around 50 miles an hour. later this afternoon, all these areas in the beige color, all of northern virginia, district, much of maryland and shenandoah valley. later today, we will be dropping down to the 30s after sunset. most of the region, the 20s tomorrow morning. and afternoon highs on friday, just in the upper 30s. average high this time of jeer 44. we might get a little dusting of light snow tomorrow morning and maybe just a few flurries and then sun back. gusty winds on friday, too. wind chills only in the teens and 20s tomorrow. then temperatures plummeting down to the teens near 20 by

dawn on saturday. saturday mostly cloudy. maybe flurries. late saturday night into sunday morning, passing snow shower. and still cold sunday and monday. highs only in the 30s to near 40. a bit warmer on tuesday, wednesday next week. maybe near 50 on wednesday. that's the way it looks. let's check the midday traffic. danella, are we still see something problems? >> yes, unfortunately, that's the case. here is a live look now of traffic lights out. this is along eastbound river road as you head towards the beltway. that's where your lights are out. please treat that stop sign as a four-way stop, treat it as a stop sign, stopping four ways. checking on the earlier accident, i-95 northbound taking the ramp to westbound route 3. plank road. overturned tractor trailer shuts the ramp down. looking at construction southbound, i-95 in virginia approaching dumfries road you can see the right lane blocked by construction. those who believe going on a

hard-core die set the answer to weight problems. we are getting a look at a study that dispels some myths about obesity and weight loss. among the myth, small change in diet and exercise can make a big difference in weight change. researchers say your body adapts to small changes. they say it is also a myth that losing a lot of weight quickly is worse than losing a little slowly over a long period of time. if you heard that snack king make you gain weight, researchers say there's no scientific evidence of that. new and unusual anti-aging treatments are finding their way on the market. including a number of different face-lifts including one called the vampire face-lift. dr. walker joins us this morning to run down the different options. welcome. good to see you glen good to see you again. >> really one called the vampire face-lift? >> it is really one called the vampire face victory what is it and why? we have been hearing about this. a lot on the internet about it. tell us what it is.

>> vampire face-lift is actually a bit of media hype. it is actually one of the liquid face-lifts. and what -- happens with the particular face-lift is the patient's own blood is drawn and it is spun down and the platelet-rich portion of blood is then extracted and then it is mixed with an agent. an artificial agent, and it is mixed to the and then reinject flood the patient's face. there's some soft signs to suggest that this helps to rejuvenate the face and to get rid of the very fine lines and wrinkles. there's no real hard evidence that this actually works. >> there's no cutting. you don't -- >> no cut. >> you don't have to worry about -- >> no cutting at all. >> is the person puffed up for a while? >> you are puffed up for a while and then comes down after two, three days. but the interesting thing is that we have been using the platelet-rich plasma for quite a while in surgery -- during face-lift just to put under the skin and help decrease bruising and bleeding.

that does work but that doesn't actually, you know, rejoouf mate the skin. >> how often would a person have to have that to make a big difference? >> i am not sure because the science isn't out on that yet. >> why do i see all these new types of face-lifts? you sent us pictures of other face-lifts, the tulip lift, s-lift and bunch of others. >> lot of it is just mass mark itting. mass media marketing for it. a lot of it is people who want to get their name out there. and a great deal of this is -- from surgeons who are not board certified, american board of plastic surgery. they are certified by the quasi boards. it is branding of their own brand. i think it is quite interesting because you have gone to a couple of these websites and actually asked, you know, gee, i would like to do this so-called specific type of lift and you actually have to pay a royalty to this surgeon and they get a

kickback every time you sell the lift to somebody or you use it on your website. >> just for the name. patients saying i want the vampire lift because they read about. >> it they read about it. i explain to them what it is. tell them that i -- you know, can do those types of procedures but i don't do it under that name. i think it is interesting. >> tell us about the marketing gimmicks. are they making a difference? are there some -- how do we get to the bottom of them so anyone that's interested in having a face-lift would know what to look for? >> you need on speak to your surgeon. first of all, go to a board certain pid plastic surgeon. certified by the american board of plastic sxrirnlg understac p. most surgeons in general perform four types of face-lifts, real face-lifts. in my practice, for example, there are four types of face-lifts i do. i do the big face-lift. undermine the skin and it is in the hospital.

like the six-hour face-lift. includes the eyes, undermininging fat augmentation, all of this. the neck-lift. there's the shorter lift, lower face-lift. there's the mini-lift. micro-lift. >> there really are a lot of different kinds of people can choose from. >> most surgeons have those types of face-lifts. every surgeon will vary they do it and place the sutures. it is for you speak with the surgeon and understand what they do and the surgeon understands what your expectations are. >> don't just rely on the internet and go talk to the doctor. >> it is a very, very for. >> thank you. always great to see you, dr. walker. >> thank you. it is 11:42. still ahead, a scam warning for anyone filing taxes.

we want to pass along warn being a new scam targeting virginians and their tax refund money. the state's taxation department

says people are getting robo calls about it is way to go prepaid mastercard. automated caller asks for personal information. virginia's taxation department says that it does not make automated calls or solicit personal information in this way. ever. meantime, the number of americans seeking unemployment aid rose sharply last week. let's collect in with cnbc's mary thompson and joins us live with more on that and the rest of the day's business headlines. mary, good morning. >> good morning to you. stocks right now lower in the wake of mixed economic data it received this morning. disappointing quarterly are reports from cooperations. the dow is down by b 28 points. the s&p right now down about three and nasdaq down lee as well. on the economic front one week after falling to a five-year low, first time unemployment claims rose by 38,000 last week. disappointing news coming ahead of tomorrow's all-for january jobs report. expected to show the unemployment rate unchanged at 7.8%. offsetting the disappointing news on jobs, positive news on

income. personal income rose by 2.8% in december. biggest gain in eight years. the increase, though, may not be sustainable as much of it can be attributed to year-end bonuses and special or accelerated dividends aimed at avoiding higher taxes kicking in during the new year. corporate news, package delivery giant ups reporting disappointing quarterly results and forecasting weak numbers for 2013. despite a cautiously optimistic outlook for the global economy. shares of facebook lowered today despite the social media giant stronger than expected profits. investors disappointed that revenue from mobile ads were -- was not higher. dow chemical, its shares taking a hit after the fourth-quarter results came up short. weak international demand for chlorine as well as polyurethane. >> thanks for the update. this week's "wednesday's child" you may remember a youngster we met at a local swimming people. we heard his story and saw one

of the most endearing smiles could you ever imagine on a child's face. we want to you see that smile again. we reintroduced you to victor who is still looking for a forever family. hi. it is so nice to meet you. are you excited about going swimming? swimming is actually the highlight of victor's school day. one of his instructional assistants was there to help victor get to the pool. she told me instead of a high-five, victor likes to touch fingers to say hello and good luck. with that he was on his way to his favorite thing. his expressions show just how happy victor is when he knows he is about to go for a swim. that smile is almost ear to ear and everyone who knows him says this is just the happiest time of his day. victor is a foster child. at 12 years old, he has spent his whole life so far in temporary care until a permanent family can be found. what a smile.

wow. that smile never leaves his face. >> diagnosed with cerebral palsy, has severe intellectual disability. he functions with a lower level. he needs support with his activities, dale living. >> reporter: those that know victor say he is very communicative and needs a family that will appreciate that. >> we are looking for a family that has experience with these children. >> reporter: any family considering adopting victor will get help. >> victor qualifies for r.e.m., rare and expensive case management. he will be eligible for that for his entire life. that will follow him through adoption. >> reporter: to be victor's family, all you really need is to love the water as much as he does. if you have room in your home and your heart for victor or another child who is waiting, please call our special adoption hotlin hotline. you can logon to our homepage at

nbcwashington.com and search wednesday's child. >> something tells me victor is going to be victorious in life. >> i hope so. he is a wonderful child. you feel it. looking at his face. >> you can definitely feel it. what a smile. time is 11:50. coming up, look at super bowl

we get you ready for super bowl sunday. we have highlights. you don't have to go to new orleans. you don't have to go to the big easy to have big fun. where should people go in d.c. if they support the ravens? >> we are so close to ravens territory that you might have more fun being around here and seeing all the local fans get so excited. in d.c., if you are a ravens fan, the place to be is mason and glover park. >> i heard about this place. >> this is a bar that opened in 2011. they let the fans decide what kind of bar they were going to be. they have -- the fans came down for the ravens. this is ravens.

sound they are going to be doing purple drinks. ravens blood. purple beer. plenty of specials. everything gets going at 3:00 p.m. >> raving about baltimore. where do you go if you want a san francisco treat? >> obviously there will be 49 theers fans -- 49ers fans from the west coast. there is a group called the washington 49ers. these are big 49ers fans. >> how did that happen? >> west coasters. this is a transient town. we must have a big west coast contingent here. they go to town tavern. a place that during inauguration m.c. hammer -- >> she still around. >> he is. the mayor of san francisco went there to watch the nfc championship game. this is definitely where want to be on sunday if you want to wear your red jersey. >> finally, baltimore, charmed city, what's the charming spot there? >> there is place called mothers on federal hill. if you want to head over to baltimore -- a great night to do it, if there is a championship, if we win, then folks will be

gathering in the streets. you can imagine. could you head down there. great place to -- they are going on give the money from the cover charge to charity which is nice. $10 to get in. >> i call one thing now that i say, if we win. rooting for the ravens? >> i mean -- if they win. no. i'm a redskins fan. >> i know that. are you taking the ravens n. >> i think we should. this area should get behind our local team, for sure. >> all right. >> see you sunday raving about baltimore. yeah, i'm going for ravens as well. why not? for more ideas on your weekend, logs do to nbcwashington.com. or the going out guide on washingtonpost.com. we have breaking news for you right now. parts of laurel in howard county are being evacuated. an executive order was signed to evacuate homes and businesses from main street north to the patuxent river. this is due to the release of the dam on the patuxent river and increased flood concerns.

the city is in the process of opening up an evacuation center to help those in need. we will continue to follow this breaking news. taking a look at stories we have been following this afternoon. pat lawson muse joins news the newsroom and preview of things to come. >> coming up this afternoon on "news4 at 4:00," putting the pedal to the metal. proposal to increase the state's speed limit. ♪ bombs bursting in air >> beyonce is getting ready to break her silence today. what does she have to say about all the lip-synching talk during the inauguration? she is going to hold a super bowl news conference this afternoon. we will tell you what happens and what she says. coming up at 5:00, we have team coverage of the super bowl. dan hellie is in new orleans. if you can't make to it the big ea easy, liz crenshaw will be here with the lowdown on the finger-licking super bowl foods you can enjoy. all those stories and latest on

the news coming up starting at 4:00. >> hungry looking at the pictures. time for a final look at the forecast. >> winds are whipping in out of the north and west. now gusting to around 40 miles an hour. temperatures are chilly. what a difference in the last couple of days. we are in the low to mid 70s tuesday, wednesday. now this thursday, we are going to have holing steady in the 40s for another couple of hours. reagan national now at 48. we approach the noon hour. near 40 in montgomery county. right now much of arlington, fairfax county, northern virginia, mid 40s. fairfax and farther east of there, mid 40s in prince george's county. much of southern maryland upper 40s now. calvert and charles and st. mary's. all around the region, we will will have gust 50s miles per hour. my concern is the trees in saturated soil. some of the weaker trees might get topple medical some of the stronger winds. we will have to watch out for that later this afternoon. as the winds may be gusting that high and tonight the winds will diminish a bit. then return tomorrow. probably not as strong as today. much colder on friday.

20s in the morning and afternoon high just in the 30s. morning snow shower or few flurries. then lighter winds for the weekend. certainly feeling cold and wintry. maybe some flurries late saturday night or passing snow shower sunday morning. cold into monday. bit warmer mid week. we will see you tomorrow morning. have a good afternoon and stay warm. >> thanks, tom. >> thanks for joining us. that's "news4 midday." tune in at 4g 4:00 for more. >> have a terrific day.